Concrete conveying and agitating vessel



May 28, 1929.. J. E. BUSHNELL CONCRETE CONVEYING AND AGITATING VESSEL Filed Jan. 20, 1928 PatentediMay 28 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. BUSHNELL, OF NORTH PLAINEIELD', NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO BANSOME CONCRETE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONCRETE CONVEYING AND AGITATING VESSEL.

Application filed January 20, 1928. Serial No. 218,083. g

mary object, among others, the provision of a receptacle with a novel form of agitating means whereby the contents of the receptacle is kept at the necessary consistency with substantially no segregation, or separation and setting is prevented during temporary storage or transportation periods.

As is well known in the art, the efficient mixing and placing of concrete involves numerous operations and accompanying problems, the best esults being attained, other requirements being satisfied, through a properlv proportioned batch and a complete dlstribution and mixing of the ingredients, thus producing a thoroughly intimate association thereof. Having accomplished the requisite mix, the wet concrete, embodying water, cement, sand, coarse aggregates, etc., 1s distributed to points for placement by various methods. Distribution difficulties frequently arise in the field, requiring the temporary storage and/or transportation of this carefully prepared intimate mixture. In situations of this nature where the wet concrete cannot be flowed directly to the work, storing and conveying receptacles are provided and any suitable motive means applied thereto. The mix having been placed in such vessels or receptacles, as the coarser aggregates settle to the bottom, leaving an upper layer of liquid or soup, during such intervals aforementioned or other periods, it is obvious that when the carefully prepared mix ture ultimately reaches the plaee of placement, the effect of the original mixing operation is largely lost and the mix is consequently so impaired as to be wholly or partly unfit for use in situ. The present improvements embody means for maintaining the wet concrete in proper mixed conditlon during such storage, transportation or other intervals, so that same may be delivered at its destination in the same state as when leaving the central mixing point.

Other objects and advantages of the 1mprovements may be more clearly understood by those skilled in the art, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in whlch Fig. 1 is a perspective of the improved mixing, storing and conveying vessel;

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged views of details.

In the present illustration the vessel or receptacle, 10 comprises a semi-cylindrical base portion 11 and upper side portions 12 and 13, said side and base portions being formed integral or of plates riveted together as desired. End portions 14, 15 and 16 complete the receptacle, which is mounted in stays 17, supported in turn on beams 17, thus providing a sturdy support for the vessel and its contents. Although the receptacle or bin 10 may be positioned in any manner desired, the present improvements contemplate that type commonly mounted upon a vehicle chassis, whether self propelled or not, wherein the wet concrete is hauled from a central mixing point to the desired destination for placement. The manner of discharge at the point of placement may be by tilting of the receptacle, inclined elevation thereof by means of a lazy-tong mechanism, or other method.

End portion 14 is provided, onits inner face, with a pair of vertical L-bars 18, 19, suitably spaced and riveted or otherwise secured in vertical position on either side of the axis of said receptacle. It is to be noted that the Us 18, 19 form, with the contiguous end portion 14, a slide or channel in which is removably mounted, in any desired manner, bearing member22. A bearing member 23 is also fixedly mounted at the opposite end of the receptacle asshown in dotted lines. Although said bearings may be positioned at any point, they are preferably mounted, as shown, at the true axis of the semi-cylindrical receptacle portion 11. A suitable shaft 24 is supported at one end in bearing 23 and adjacent its other end in bearing 22, said shaft extending through said bearing 22 and end portion 14 and having keyed thereto at its said other end, a worm or gear (not shown) as desired for rotation of the shaft, through any suitable means, as by power transmitted from the motive power of the vehicle or train of vehicles. It is understood that said transmission means is arranged to be disconnected, if desired, at any time. The shaft 24 may be braced, as shown, adjacent the center of the receptacle, by horizontal support and brace 25 carrying shaft bearing 26. Suitable Accordingly each agitator comprises a pair of sleeves 27, 28 suitably keyed to shaft 24, having integral channel sha ed members 29 and 30 radially disposed. aid sleeves are suitably spaced along the shaft with the channel members 29 and 30 facing each other.

Channel shaped arms 31 and 32 terminate.

at their free ends in V-shaped notches 33, 34 while, at their other ends, they are bolted to their respective sleeves through slots 35, 36 in said members 29, 30 so that they may be adjusted lengthwise. Arms 31 and 32 likewise face each other, and beingsmaller in cross section than members 29, 30 are telescopcd within the latter when in bolted position.

An agitator element comprising a V-shaped member 37 is riveted, Welded or otherwise secured-in the notches of arms 31 and-32 and may be adjusted therewith toward and from the inner surface of the vessel. The diverging legs of this member 37, as shown, face away from the axis of the receptacle, with the apex directed toward and parallel to the rotatable shaft 24. Although an integral l-shaped member having blades 38 and 39 is herein depicted, said member may be represented by independent blades mounted in the aforementioned notches, in diverging relation, with a slight clearance between same at their apex. ,As shown, the shaft 24 has four such agitators mounted ninety degrees apart, and keyed thereto, although the number thereof may be varied, as desired.

The end portion 16 is preferably hinged at 40 and removably clamped at 41, thereby facilitating cleaning or flushing of the receptacle. A spout 42 for discharging, having a control gate 43, is provided, and IS adapted to be operated by lever 44 through link 45 as shown.

The end member 15 extends above the top of the vessel, and has angular braces of sheet material secured to its side edges and to the upper edges of the side members 12 and 13. In this manner provision is made against the slopping over or spilling of the contents of the vessel when it is tilted toward the end 15 to discharge it. This upwardly extending end also permits the lever 44 to be pivoted well above the hinged end member 16, so that the link'45 may be disconnected from the door 43 and raised above the hinged end member .to permit the latter to swing outwardly and upwardly to open the end of the vessel. A cross piece 47 secured to the end member 15 above the hinges 40 acts as a stop for the door 43 when it is raised and has a guide slot 47 through which the link 45 con necting the lever 44 with the door works.

One of the features of the improvements is found in the fact that the blades 37 may be used to assist the discharge of the batch from the vessel, where the vessel is not mounted to be tilted after the manner of a dump cart or car, or such tilting is not convenient or advisable, as for instance Where the door 43 is used to discharge a barrow load or other limited quantity of mixed concrete and it is desired to continue the agitation of the mix until the entire batch is discharged. The blades in their present form will assist this discharge by agitating the materials and as? sisting their gravitation toward the discharge end, whetherthe entire batch is to be discharged by opening the end portion 16 or a part of the batch through the door 43. It has been found desirable, however, to give the blades or paddles 38, 39 of the stirrers 37 a pitch so that they will propel the materials in the direction of the discharge opening. This may be done by spreading the end of the V which is farthest from the discharge end, or by setting them at an angle to the shaft and to the longitudinal axis of the vessel; and in this case they can only be rotated in one direction during the discharge operation. The blades in the present form, however, can be made to propel materials toward the discharge opening by adjusting the arms 31, 32 to different lengths, and thus giving the blades a pitch in the direction of the discharge end. When this is done the upwardly extending ends 15 will permit the concrete to pull up to a certain extent when the vessel is full, under the influence of the blades. There will be no spilling or overflow, however, as the usual concrete mixture is sufficiently wet to flow at a pitch of 45 or less to the horizontal, and the vessel is not filled to its upper edge.

In operation, the wet concrete, having been thoroughly mixed is discharged from the mixer (not shown) into the receptacle .10, which is mounted on any suitable vehicle, for transportation. Rotation is then imparted to the shaft 24, as heretofore suggested by connecting same with any suitable power means, e. g., the transmission (if a motor vehicle be employed) through any convenient mechanism. Rotary motion may similarly be applied to such shafts of a train of dump cars from the motive power therefor. The shaft is so connected that same will revolve While the vehicle may be stationary, the advantages of such an arrangement being obvlous.

As the shaft 24 rotates, the agitator eleand approach the wet concrete, the diverging blade. 39, nearest the surface of the batch, is disposed at an angle thereto and consequently cuts into and enters the fluent mass "more readily than in the case of a blade disposed parallel to said surface. This refinement of construction is a distinct advantage,

,since less power is required to initially force the blade into the mass and the impact of this initial entry is reduced, with an attendant saving to the metal parts. Further conservation of power and strain on parts results from the angular disposition of this blade. Referring to Fig. 2, the agitator element is depicted passing through the vessel on its upward arc. Not only in the illustrated position, but during its entire journey through the mix, a stream-line effect is secured by the arrangement of the blade 39, resulting in the fluent mass being displaced in a sweeping manner. The mass passes over the blade toward the apex of the paddle, over same and over the blade 38. In thus forming the agitator element, obviously less power is required to carry same through its arcuate travel and a more thorough mixing results as hereinafter set forth.

As the V-shaped paddle cuts into the mix, it functions after thefashion of a cu or bucket, and entraps a quantity of the liquid or soup gathered at the surface, as heretofore mentioned. The segregation of the ingredients is well known, the coarser aggregates settling andthe lighter elements rising to the surface. As the paddle proceeds through the coarseraggregates it distributes the entrapped soupthrough same and tends to raise the coarse aggregates from the bottom, and consequently maintains the intimate mixture of the ingredients known to be essential. The advantages of the successive carrying of the surface liquid into the body of the mix by each paddle in its travel, cannot be too greatly emphasized.

Although a semi-cylindrical receptacle with the rotating shaft located at its true axis is employed, it is obvious that the advantages of the improvements will be attained in vessels of other suitable shapes. A rugged and sturdy construction has been developed in the provision of the V-shaped notches for the paddles, as well as the telescopic channel members, the-latter lending great strength and rigidity to the rotating parts. The po sition of the paddles with respect to the inner wall of the receptacle may be varied as desired, by means of the adjustable slot and bolt connection, shown in large detail in Fig. 3. The paddles may accordingly be adjusted and-to take up wear. Likewise the shaft 24.

is arranged to revolve in either direction, or may be wholly disconnected, where the load to be moved requires no agitation. In such instances, or where repairs or cleansing is called for, the entire agitation assembly and shaft may be removed.

For convenient assembly and replacement, the sleeves 28 are preferably made uniform, although if desired, contiguous sleeves may be cast as a unit, with their radial channel members disposed at right angles. Furthermore, channel arms 31 and 32 may be bridged at intervals with one or more webs to promote mixing and add strength and rigidity.

Other modifications within the scope of the present improvements will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle, a rotatable shaft supported longitudinally thereof, pairs of radially disposed and axially spaced arms mounted on said shaft, and agitating blades disposed at an angle to each other, connecting arms of a pair.

2. A device of the character described comprising a semi-cylindrical receptacle, a rotatable shaft supported at the axis thereof, a plurality of radiallydisposed arms mounted on said shaft and notched at their free ends and a V-shaped agitator member mounted in said notches. Y

3. A device as set forth in preceding claim 2, wherein said arms are radially adjustable.

A device of the character described comprising a semi-cylindrical receptacle, a rotatable shaft supported at the axis thereof,

a pair of radially disposed arms keyed to said shaft in spaced relation and a V-shaped member connecting the free ends of said arms and having its apex directed toward and parallel to saidshaft.

5. A device as set forth in preceding claim 4, having a plurality of pairs of arms mounted longitudinally of said shaft and each pair ninety degrees apart.

6. A device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said arms are radially adjustable whereby the position of said V-shaped member-with respect to the wall of said receptacle may be varied.

7. An agitator element fora receptacle of the character described comprising a pair of spaced sleeves adapted to be keyed on a shaft, said sleeves having inte ral channel members radially extending t erefrom and provided with longitudinall disposed slots, a pair of telescopic channe arms mounted in said channel members and bolted in said slots, the free ends of said channel arms terminating a \,/-;shaped notches, and a V-shaped. member connecting the free ends of saidarms spaced arms mounted on said shaft and longitudinal blades fixed 'at the ends of said pairs and means for adjusting saidblades toward and from the inner wall of said re-- ceptacle.

9. A vessel open at its top, a door at the end of said vessel, an end member in which said door is slidably mounted, said end membcrmounted to swing outwardly with said door thereon, an end member above said first end member and a door operating lever mounted on said second end member.

10. A vessel open at its top, a door at the end of said vessel, an end member in which said door is slidably mounted, said end member mounted to swing outwardly with said door thereon, an end member above said iirst end member and a door operating lever mounted on said second end member, said second end member extending above the open top of the vessel.

11.A vessel open at its top, a door at the end of said vessel, an end member in which said door is slidably mounted, said end member mounted to swing outwardly with said door thereon, an end member above said first end member, a shaft mounted in said vessel and stirring devices mounted on said shaft, and said vessel adapted'to discharge through said door and also through said swinging end member.

12. In a device of the character described, a vessel adapted to contain and transport freshly mixed plastic concrete, said vessel having a rounded bottom, a shaft extending through the longitudinal axis of said Vessel and adapted tobe rotated, stirring blades carried by said shaft between it and the inner surface of the" vessel and mounted to be r0 tated, said blades adapted to be disposed at an angle to said axis and said surface to move the said concrete in the direction of one end of the vessel, and said vessel being provided with a discharge opening at said end.

13. In a device of the character described, a vessel adapted tocontain and transport freshly mixed plastic concrete, said. vessel having a roundedbottom, a shaft extending through the longitudinal axis of said vessel and adapted to be rotated, stirring blades carried by said shaft between it and the inner surface of the vessel, and mounted to be rotated, said blades disposed at an angle to said axis and said surface to move the said concrete in the direction of one end of the vessel, and said vessel being provided with a discharge opening at said end.

14. A device for transporting wet concrete comprising a receptacle, a rotatable shaft supported longitudinally therein, a plurality of radially disposed and axially spaced arms mounted on said shaft, mixing means bridging the free ends of said arms, a plurality of radially disposed and axially spaced arms mounted on said shaft and, isposed ninety degrees from said first mentioned arms and offset therefrom and mixing means bridging the free ends of said second mentioned arms. 15; A device for transporting wet concrete comprising a receptacle, a rotatable shaft supported longitudinally thereof, a plurality of radially and axially spaced arms mounted on said shaft and longitudinal blades disposed at the ends of said arms composed of members arranged on linesdivcrgent of said arms and angular to the radii of the vessel.

Vvitness my hand this 31st day of December, 1927, at Dunellen.-

JAMES E. BUSHNELL. 

